ACES ON BRIDGE

“I don’t want anyone to look to me — not for protection, not for happiness, not for love, not for anything.”

— P.D. James

It is almost always right to re-open the bidding when dealer opens and the auction dies on the first round. If the opponents belonged in game, they would surely not have stopped at the onelevel. The hand probably belongs to you, or the limit of the deal is a part-score for the opponents.

In any event, South has plenty in hand for his reopening action today. When North shows a highcard raise of spades, South bids game. He may not make it, but he might as well bid it and find out the hard way.

After leading a top heart, West shifts to the club queen. Now South is threatened with the loss of a heart, a club and two diamonds. What can be done to avoid that?

Declarer must try to establish one of dummy’s hearts as the 10th trick; but it will need a little defensive assistance. Declarer ducks the club queen, and now to set the game, East must overtake and shift to diamonds. When he instead encourages on the queen, South wins the next club and ruffs a club. Then he draws trumps ending in dummy, and leads the heart 10, throwing away a sure loser in diamonds.

West can win that, but he is endplayed. He does best to lead a low heart, forcing declarer to guess whether to put up the nine. South should do so: Not only might East have acted with as few as 4 or 5 points, he would surely have covered the heart 10 on the second round, to set the game.

ANSWER: Since your partner shouldn’t have more than a 5- or 6-count when passing throughout, your chances of setting the game are limited. Are you going to lead diamonds and play partner for a card in that suit (when a low diamond might be best) or lead a club honor and hope to find partner with length there? I vote for a low diamond in pairs, the club jack in teams.